IDENTITY MASK PROJECT AND PERFORMANCE:

Designed by Jasmin Hoo

Description:
In this project, students will explore the layers of their identity and look at how
the world perceives them versus how they see themselves. Each student will create a
plaster mask of themselves representing these different layers of perception and identity.
Students will then create and perform skits about their identity using their masks as
props. This activity can be done with youth ages 7-18 years old and each session should
be at least one hour long.
Guiding Question: How does the world see me? How do I see myself?
Purpose/Aim:
1. For each student to explore how the world defines their identity in comparison to
how they each define their own identity.
2. For each student to be able to express their own ideas, experiences, and feelings
about their identity to their friends and family.
Lesson Plan Materials:
Plaster strip material (the kind used for casts)
Buckets/bowls of water
Vaseline
Acrylic paints and brushes
Glitter, feathers, sequins, etc.
Paper towels
Critical Concepts/Vocabulary Covered:
Identity
Intersectionality
Assumptions vs. Truth
SESSION 1: Mask Making (1 hour)
In Session 1 students will begin to think about the concept of identity. They will also
make the base for their masks and work together with a partner building trust.
Introduction: (10 minutes)
Teacher will explain the process and purpose of this project to the students.
Teacher will ask students to brainstorm everything they know about identity (and
teacher will draw a web of their answers on the board or chart paper).
Teacher will then ask students: Are all these aspects of identity visible to people?
What aspects of identity are most important to you?
Mask Making: (10 minutes per person)
Teacher and students will discuss guidelines needed for making this a safe and
fun process (listening to directions, being mindful of their bodies, being safe with
materials, being supportive of their partner, etc.)
Teacher will split students into partners, ideally pairing students with someone
they do not know well.
Partner A lies down and covers their face with vaseline, putting folded paper
towels over their eyes. Partner B puts the wet strips of plaster on partner As face
to create mask (leaving holes for the nostrils and mouth).
Trust Walk: (10 minutes per person)
Once they are done covering partner As face, partner B takes partner A on a short
trust walk as the mask dries.
Before they begin, be clear with how this will be done safely (go over where they
are allowed to walk, how to safely and caringly lead their partner who is blind).
Once mask is hard, gently remove and prepare for partner B to get their mask
made and to go on a trust walk lead by partner A.
Discussion: (5 minutes)
Teacher will ask the students: What was this process like for you? What was fun
or scary about it? What came up for you?
Clean up classroom and leave masks out to dry over night: (5 minutes)
SESSION 2: Painting Ourselves (1 hour)
In Session 2 students will write about and discuss how they think the world perceives
them and how they see themselves. Students will paint their mask based on these ideas.
Take a Stand Activity: (10 minutes)
The instructor will make a statement and students will stand on one side of the
room if they agree with the statement or stand on the other side of the room if
they disagree. Students must be ready to defend their stance, though they can
change their mind as they hear their classmates perspectives.
Prompting Statements:
o You can tell a lot about me by looking at me.
o People make assumptions about me based on how I look.
o I can control how other people perceive me.
o How I look is important to who I am.
Writing/Pair Share: (15 minutes)
Each student writes down their answers to these questions:
o When people look at you, what do you think they see?
o When you look at yourself, what do you see?
o How important is your face/physicality in terms of how others define us or
how we define ourselves?
o Does our face represent who we really are on the inside?
o How do you define who you are?
o How do you see your own identity?
Students will share with a partner their answers to these questions and how they
might represent these ideas in their masks.
Paint Masks: (30 minutes)
Students will take the ideas and questions discussed above and incorporate them
into their mask by painting how they are perceived on the outside of the mask and
how they see themselves on the inside of the mask.
They can use paint, use glitter, magazine images. Clean up and let masks dry
over night.
Clean up classroom and leave masks out to dry over night: (5 minutes)
SESSION 3: Acting Out Identity (1 hour)
In Session 3 students will use theater to share about the assumptions people make about
them based on how they look. They will work together in groups to create skits and a full
performance about identity.
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
Teacher leads a body and vocal warm up.
Teacher leads a quick game like, What are you doing? in which students stand in
a circle and one person starts by acting out a simple activity, like brushing their
teeth, then the next person asks them: what are you doing? The first person has to
say something completely different from brushing their teeth, like Im jumping
out of an airplane and the person who asked the question now must act out
jumping out of an airplane and the next person asks them: what are you doing?
You go around the circle until everyone has had a turn, and you can do this
several times.
Vox Pop 1: (10 minutes)
Each person takes turns walking onto stage and striking a pose and answering
the prompt: Tell me an assumption someone has made about out based on how
you look.
Once everyone has answered, the group will stay frozen in their poses as the
teachers ask them to think about how they felt in this moment when someone
made an assumption about their looks. Then the teacher will point to each person
to answer this question: How did their assumption make you feel? And each
student can say a word or a phrase about how this moment made them feel.
Skits: (30 minutes)
Teacher will break up students into small groups (4 per group).
Each group will work together to act out each persons moment when someone
made an assumption about them. Each person directs their own moment skit.
When finished the groups will present the scenes to each other. They should use
their masks in their skits.
Vox Pop 2: (5 minutes)
In the same manner as the first Vox Pop, the teacher will ask the students: Tell
me something true about who you are? Each student will stand on stage and
say something true about themselves and strike a pose.
SESSION 4: Practice (1 hour)
In Session 4 students will use what they worked on in Session 3 to create a final
performance to present to their friends and family.
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
Teacher leads a body and vocal warm up.
Practice: (50 minutes)
Students must practice and rehearse their skits and vox pops. The suggested
performance order is: vox pop 1, skits, vox pop 2. However, students can also
come up with their own structure for how they want to perform these ideas.
Students should incorporate masks throughout the performance.
Additionally, students can prepare to lead a Q & A discussion after the
performance for the audience to ask them questions. The teacher can also lead the
post Q & A discussion if needed.
SESSION 5: Performance (Up to 1 hour)
In Session 5 students will perform their skits and vox pop for their friends and family.
Perform: (Up to 1 hour)
Students perform for their friends and family about their identity.
Students or teacher will facilitate a Q & A audience discussion after the
performance about the skits.